Ladder.



No. 819,951. PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

J. I. THOMPSON.

LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.27. 1905.

flan H6072, Inventor Attorn eys chiral) STAIES PATENT orrron.

LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rate-nteo! May 8, 1 906.

Application filed October 27, 1905 Serial No. 284,739.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN IRVING THOMP- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elk Grove, in the county of Sacramento and State of California, have invented a new and useful Ladder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ladders, and has for an object to provide a ladder embodying improved features of stability, durability, convenience, and efliciency.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a ladder of improved form presenting but three bearing points to the ground, whereby the ladder stands firmly upon an uneven surface.

While the improved ladder is adapted for the various uses to which a step-ladder is ordinarily put, it is primarily intended for use in orchards in picking fruit or other work in the trees.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide the supporting-rails with pointed extremities formed by a curved line and whereby they are adapted to penetrate and engage hard ground, but to present a greater bearing-surface to softer ground.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved ladder. Fig. 2 is a view of the top of the ladder in rear elevation.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures of the drawings.

In its preferred embodiment the improved ladder forming the subject-matter of this ap plication comprises a step-section composed of the side rails and 11, meeting at their lower ends and connected by an interposed wedge-shaped block 12. From their lower extremities the side rails 10 and 11 diverge regularly to their upper ends, where they are secured together by the top overlapping step 13 and with steps, as 14, secured therebetween at regular intervals and increasing regularly in length from the lower step 15 upwardly. Immediately beneath the top step 13 wedge-shaped bearing-blocks 16 and 17 are secured to the outer surfaces of the rails, with the thicker sides of the wedge downward, and so proportioned that the opposite planes of the blocks are parallel. Through the side rails 10 and 11 and the bearingblocks is disposed the hinge-rod 18, extending parallel with and slightly below the top step 13. vUpon the bar 18 are hinged the brace-rails 19 and 20, provided at their upper ends with the wedgeshaped bearingblocks 21 and 22, with their thicker sides downward and their parallel planes in contact with the parallel surfaces of the blocks 16 and 17, as indicated by'lines 23 and 24. The brace-section is made rigid in any approved manner, as by the oblique bars 25 and 26 and the transverse bar 26. The lower extremities of the brace-rails are formed pointed, as at 27, by the curved cut 28, and a similar point 29 is formed upon the lower ends of the side rails 10 and 11 by the curved cut 30. With the ends pointed it willbe found that the ladder will generally stand with suflicient rigidity and safety; but, if preferred, a flexible connection 31 may be secured at one end to the cross-bar 27 and at the other to any convenient part, as the ring 32, carried by one of the steps.

From the foregoing it is believed the use, operation, and advantages of the improved ladder will fully and clearly be understood and appreciated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is a 1. A ladder comprising a top step, a stepsection fixedly secured thereto and having side rails converging from the top step, connected brace-rails hinged to the step-section adjacent to and overlapped by the top step.

2. A ladder comprising a top step, a stepsection fixedly secured thereto, and having producing contact-surfaces substantially par- 10 side rails converging from the top step, braceallel each With the other.

rail hinged adjacent the top step and a rein- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as forcing-block interposed Within the contractmy own I have hereto afliXed my signature in 5 ed end of the step-section the presence of tWo Witnesses.

3. A ladder comprising hinged sections JOHN IRVING THOMPSON. having the opposite side rails of opposite sec- Witnesses: tions substantially parallel and Wedge-shaped W. G. LE BOYD, bearing-blocks carried by each section and F. P. GAGE. 

